Terre Vraiment Étrange: French Travel Writing in Australia between the Gold Rush and Federation

Abstract

Despite the rich heritage of the French in Australia, its corresponding field of scholarship is limited. This thesis will explore the travel writings of ten French men and women who visited Australia between the Gold Rush and Federation. Their writings constructed Australia through the lens of exoticism, as a land truly other to their experiences in Europe. Three key themes emerge across the writings: the bizarre animals and plants, the ‘savage’ Indigenous Australians, and the surprise of developed cities. Overall, this thesis will synthesise the French perspective on Australia from a corpus of essentially untapped yet highly revealing travel writings.